


No One Can Lift the Damn Thing

by Chash



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 02:56:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8039725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: Bellamy's pretty sure he only gets invited to Finn's wedding because he's kind of famous now, because it's not like Finn actually liked him at college. But he does miss his friends, so he figures he might as well go.Then he finds out Clarke wasn't actually invited, and he has to invite her. It wouldn't be any fun, without Clarke.





	No One Can Lift the Damn Thing

Bellamy assumed that if he ever started taking off as an actor, he'd get some kind of following. He never expected to be a superstar or anything, but he thought he had decent odds of making it as a TV actor. Someone with a small but dedicated fan base, who occasionally got recognized on the street. C-list, maybe even edging onto the B-list on his good days. 

He's mostly right about that aspect of his fame, aside from being solidly B-list and possibly sliding higher; what he hadn't expected at all was _popularity_ , in the most high-school sense of the word. Suddenly, people from his past who never gave two shits about him want to be Facebook friends, want him to read their novels or screenplays, try to make it out like they were his confidants when they probably wouldn't even know he was at school with them if he hadn't put his high school and college on the Facebook account he can't even check anymore for fear of the barrage of notifications.

He's pretty sure that same popularity is why he gets invited to Finn Collins' wedding, and he doesn't even know what to _do_ with the fucking thing when he gets it.

Finn comes closer to being a friend than a lot of the people who have reached out to him since he made it big, in that he actually knew Finn at college, but he also didn't actually _like_ Finn very much. He'd cheated on one girl Bellamy really liked with another girl Bellamy really liked, which was a huge dick move, and somehow managed to remain in the friend group in spite of that and his many other glaring character flaws.

It's actually the thought of Raven and Clarke that starts him thinking about going to the wedding, because Finn sucks and he never liked Ontari that much either, but aside from that, he had a pretty cool friend group. He wouldn't mind seeing everyone else again. And if he has to be a token semi-famous guy to do it, he can live with that. He's pretty okay at being semi-famous at this point. He's almost used to it.

That's also why he checks a plus one; he's hoping Finn and Ontari will spend three months wondering which of his costars he's dating only for him to show up with his little sister.

He's a dick. He's fine with being a dick. It's kind of his thing.

The show wraps up filming in a month, so he puts a reminder in his calendar to deal with flights and hotels and stuff once he doesn't feel like dying all the time and moves on with his life.

It'll probably be fun. For certain values of fun. 

He'll enjoy it, anyway.

*

 **Me** : Did you book your hotel for Finn's wedding yet?  
What days are you going to be there?

Clarke Griffin is increasingly Bellamy's favorite person from college. Not that she wasn't his favorite before, but he used to think it was kind of--fleeting. She was cute and sarcastic and refused to take any shit, which made her exactly his type both platonically and romantically, and he thinks they'd been kind of drifting toward each other at the end of his junior year. It was a crush, but it felt like a crush that might actually work out for him.

Then his mother died, he got custody of his sister, and he never went back to college. Plenty of his friends sent condolences, but most of them dropped off after a few months, distracted with their own lives, unsure how to talk to him when everything about his world was so foreign. Most of them had both their parents, and even those who might have lost one didn't have a surly teenage dependent.

Clarke sent a lot of weird memes with no explanation and texts about which people she was planning to murder. He responded in kind, and while they don't talk as much as she'd like, she's still a friend in a way plenty of people he talks to more aren't. 

Their frequency and style of communication didn't change after he started making it as an actor, and that meant a lot too.

He's really looking forward to seeing her again.

 **Clarke** : Hahaha that's cute  
You think Finn invited me to his wedding

 **Me** : He didn't?  
He invited me

 **Clarke** : You're rich and famous

 **Me** : So are you, princess  
Are we calling you that again? Did we reclaim it from Finn?

 **Clarke** : I prefer Supreme Leader now  
I'm rich, but I'm not featured in tumblr gif sets  
People commission me to do fanart of you

 **Me** : And you haven't sent it to me?  
I thought we were friends, Clarke

 **Clarke** : Is James/Sirius a pairing you're into?

 **Me** : Obviously

 **Clarke** : Then I'll send you some links

 **Me** : Awesome  
Finn really didn't invite you to the wedding?

 **Clarke** : He used to hit on me in front of the woman he's now marrying  
While they were dating  
She hated me  
Of course they didn't invite me  
They'd probably keel over and die if I showed up  
Related: Did you get a plus one?

 **Me** : Yeah  
I was planning to get them really excited thinking I was bringing some famous actress or something and then I show up with Octavia

 **Clarke** : Or you could show up with me

 **Me** : Yeah, that's a way better idea  
So, what nights do you want me to book the hotel?

The phone ringing shouldn't be a surprise, but it still makes him jump, and he's still somehow not really expecting it to be Clarke's name on the display. He stares for a second, but gets it together quickly. Well, for certain definitions of _together_. He jumps out of his seat and runs his hands through his hair, like this interaction is going to involve Clarke seeing him somehow, and then has to take a breath before he picks up.

But he does pick up.

"Hey," he says. It's very normal.

"Hi," says Clarke. He hasn't heard her voice since he left school, he realizes. He really has missed her. "Have we ever actually talked on the phone?"

"Probably at least once. But I can't actually remember." He wets his lips. "If you were kidding, just assume I was too."

Her laughter is bright and sudden, the same as it always has been. Clarke never seems to expect to laugh, and every time she does, she seems delighted by it. "Already backing out?"

"Just if you were. It would make the whole thing way better for me, but I don't blame you if don't actually want to come. But I wouldn't have said I was going if I didn't think you'd be there."

He barely has time to regret the statement--he does have other friends--before she's laughing again.

"So I have to go, is what I'm hearing."

"I think you'd make it more awkward for them than it would be for you. So, yeah, I'd say it's worth it."

She hums, thoughtful. "When is it again?"

"May. Uh--" He pulls up his calendar. "May 20. It's a Saturday."

"You're done filming, I guess?"

"We wrapped last week, so I'm free for the summer. Aside from doing some conventions."

"Big star," she teases.

"Yeah, I'm really gonna elevate the whole wedding. You need to come just to protect me from Finn and Ontari. They're gonna try to use me for fame."

"You really didn't plan this, did you?"

"Honestly, I thought Ontari would want to rub it in your face that she was marrying him and he'd want to hit on you one last time before he got married, so I figured I'd just use you as a human shield."

"You're making this sound better and better for me."

"Free bar."

"True." There's a pause. "Spite's a good reason to go to a wedding, right?"

"It's a good reason to do anything. Besides, Raven and Finn go way back, right? I bet she got invited. She'll want backup. We had some cool friends."

"We did have some cool friends." She clucks her tongue. "I could do it. I'll be done with school and just waiting around for graduation."

He flops back on the couch, settling in for what he hopes will be a long conversation. It's so nice, talking to her again. "You're in school?"

"Finishing up my masters, yeah. Not all of us can run to Hollywood and get discovered."

"Especially not if you don't even try. What's the masters?"

"Museum Studies. Focusing on curation."

"Cool. How's that going?"

"Pretty well. I like it, and my mom likes it better than trying to be an artist. Acceptable rich-girl occupations."

"Did she give you a list of those, or did you just have to guess?"

"You've met my mom, right?"

"So, guess."

She laughs. "I miss you. I should definitely come to this wedding."

"I'm saying, yeah."

"And it would be great to see Finn's face, too. You were planning to bring some famous actress, but when you found out he forgot to invite me--"

"Which was clearly just an oversight."

"Yeah, of course. So you gave up your hot date with--do you actually have an actress girlfriend?"

"Not at the moment. I was hooking up with one of the sound guys for a while, but he got laid off so it got awkward. But no one else has to know that, right?"

"Exactly. You were going to bring Jennifer Lawrence, but--"

"I think you're overestimating my fame levels. Someone from a CBS procedural, maybe."

"Don't sell yourself short. You're on HBO. Go network, at least."

"Thanks. Your support is appreciated, as always." He lets out a breath. "So, seriously, you want to come? Octavia is going to be so relieved, I just talked her into it with a free bar where no one was going to card her."

"Is it bad to fuck with someone on their wedding day?"

"Is it worse than how badly Finn fucked with you?" he asks. "Besides, if you showing up destroys their wedding, their wedding deserves to be destroyed." He pauses. "Plus I miss you."

"Plus that." He can almost see her expression, the determined nod. "Yeah, I'm in. Let's do this."

*

From: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
To: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
Subject: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation 

Here's the hotel info for the trip. Are you still rich? Are you paying me back? I guess I don't actually care, just curious. Not worrying about money is awesome, btw.

 

From: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
To: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation 

I was going to pay you back, but if you don't care obviously I'm not going to. Rich-person tip: never tell people it's okay to not pay you back. That's how you stop being rich.

But seriously, thanks for setting this up. Now we can move onto the important stuff: how ugly are our outfits going to be? And what kind of ugly? 

 

From: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
To: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation

Thanks for the tip. I'll send an itemized bill once I see how much room service and porn we order.

What are the ugly options? Related fun fact: I had to wear dress robes for the Hogwarts graduation party. I bet they'd let me borrow them.

 

From: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
To: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation 

That's more like it.

No, I saw that, you somehow made those work. Which might be evidence we'll have trouble uglying you up. What did you use on your hair for that job interview sophomore year? Bacon fat? You could do that again.

 

From: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
To: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how hard you think it is to destroy my hotness.

 

From: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
To: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation 

You also can't hear me because we're communicating via a text-based medium, but sure.

I'm on the Hot Topic website because that's where you go for weddings, right? Look, this one is even on sale. I should get on that, right?

 

From: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
To: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation

Awesome. But is that for me or you?

 

From: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
To: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation 

I'm sorry, are we not wearing matching outfits to this?

 

From: **Bellamy Blake** (augustinian-monkfish@gmail.com)  
To: **Clarke Griffin** (griffin.clarke@gmail.com)  
Subject: Re: Fwd: Your Reservation Confirmation

Shit, my bad. 

FYI, I'm a large.

*

"You've been really happy lately," Octavia says, in the vaguely accusatory tones of a little sister who senses a secret.

"Sorry, is that a problem for you?" he asks, taking a sip of his coffee. "Do you want me to be less happy?"

She rolls her eyes. "Obviously, yeah. I hate when you're happy. It's the worst. I hope you cry yourself to sleep." She nudges his ankle under the table. "I'm serious, though. Usually hiatus starts and you're bored and miserable."

"I'm always bored and miserable," he says. "And the first couple weeks of hiatus are good. I play video games and pretend I know how to relax."

"And now we're on the second month and you're smiling and checking your phone all the time, so what gives? New girlfriend? New boyfriend? New non-binary partner?"

"I'm still really into Pokemon Go."

"Bell."

He sighs. "Remember how I said you didn't have to go to that wedding? It's because I'm taking my friend from college. The guy getting married is her ex, so we're going to be total dicks to him. It's been--fun. I kind of lost touch with everyone, but it's not because I didn't like them. And coming up with stupid plans for how to ruin everything is a great way to kill time between Overwatch games."

"So, new girlfriend."

"I wish," he admits. "Not to be thirteen about it, but new girl-who-is-a-friend. Or old one I'm reconnecting with. Ideally I get laid at the wedding and then I'll be miserable when I get back. So at least something you're used to."

Octavia frowns. "Wow. That's a lot more honesty than I was expecting."

"If you don't want to know, don't ask."

"So, what I'm getting is you _look_ happy, because you like a girl, but you're also dying inside, because you like a girl. That sounds about right." She grins. "You know you're a famous actor now, right? She's basically required to sleep with you. So there's that."

"Yeah, that really helps." His phone buzzes, and he glances down to see the preview from Clarke: _Fursuits aren't nearly as expensive as I expected._

"God, this is nauseating," says O. "You should see your face."

"Yeah, I'm okay not."

"When's the wedding?"

"The twentieth. I'm flying down on the Thursday."

"And when's _your_ wedding?"

"Shut up, O."

But he turns his attention to his phone to text back, _Why did you have expectations about how expensive a fursuit would be?? How much have you thought about this??_ so O might be right about the whole stupidly happy thing.

There are worse things to be stupid about.

*

Clarke is flying in from New York, and they coordinated their flights so they'd get to airport around the same time. Bellamy has never been to Ohio before and he's not really looking forward to it, but at this point, he'd be happy basically anywhere he got to see Clarke. Despite their joking around about Hot Topic dresses and fursuits, he's brought a nice tux--and his dress robes, just in case--and is planning to basically rock this wedding by upstaging the groom, being better than him, and ideally getting the girl. Which is, perhaps, the wrong attitude to take toward a wedding, but he has trouble caring. Finn should have known better than to invite him, honestly.

He lands first, and already has his bag by the time she sends her _waiting for a gate_ text. Which is good timing, because it means he can go pick up the rental car instead of lurking at the baggage claim, waiting for her and stressing himself out. 

On his way there, he's stopped for pictures three times, which is still--really surreal. He'd started acting mostly by accident; once he got back to LA, he picked up odd jobs while he was looking for something more permanent, and for some reason people just assumed he was doing it because he was a struggling actor, instead of being a struggling poor kid, so when coworkers told him about opportunities, he figured there wasn't any reason not to try it out. A job was a job, and it seemed worth adding acting and modeling to his applications.

He got a recurring guest role on a fairly generic prime-time drama as the hunky pool boy one of the lonely housewives wanted to have an affair with, and while it wasn't a very challenging or interesting part, it got him a SAG card and an agent, and said agent got him in to read for James Potter in _Dark Lord Rising_ , an HBO movie that would, if everything went well, serve as the pilot for _Order_ , a series following the Order of the Phoenix from the time when James graduated from Hogwarts until his death. 

Bellamy had never been a really dedicated Harry Potter fan, but he'd read and liked all the books, and obviously something like that would basically make him enough money for the rest of his life. HBO paid well and it was a fucking _Harry Potter_ tie-in, which meant guaranteed success, he was pretty sure.

He hadn't really expected to get it, and there's a huge part of him that still can't believe that he _did_. That he gets asked to go to conventions and that people recognize him on the street. That he makes list of _Most Attractive Stars_ on teen websites. That he's received award nominations and might even win some. And they just wrapped filming on the first season, so he's pretty sure it's only the beginning of his fame and popularity.

He's not really prepared, honestly.

"So, do I get a picture?" Clarke asks.

He's in line for the car and just finished taking a selfie with a couple college kids, which had distracted him enough that it hadn't occurred to him he might have gotten slowed down enough for her to catch him. She's wearing a gray henley and jeans, her hair in a messy braid, her smile tired, and he's not sure he's ever seen anything so good in his entire life.

Five years. It's been five years, since he last saw her. Why the hell did he let it go so long?

"Hey," he says, wrapping her up in a hug. "You can get all the pictures you want."

"Awesome." She still uses the same shampoo she used in college, something bright and familiar, and when her arms tighten around him, he buries his face in her hair. "I'm totally going to see pictures of this on tumblr, aren't I? Some fangirl already thinks I'm your secret girlfriend."

He laughs and lets her go, letting himself look at her again. He can't get enough of her.

"I don't know. How many Bellamy Blake fan tumblrs do you follow? Be honest."

"All of them," she says. "Obviously."

He can't stop smiling. "Obviously. How was the flight?"

"Uneventful." She nudges her shoulder against his. "I actually watched your show."

He laughs. "Yeah?"

"I figured it would give us something to talk about. Not that I haven't already seen it, but a refresher never hurts, right?"

"Never. And?"

"And I really want to make out with the actress who plays Lily. Is it as awesome as I want it to be?"

"Yeah, uh, TV making out is not actually like real making out. It's actually really awkward. So--probably, but I wouldn't know. She's cool, though."

"Good enough for me. How weird is your life?"

He laughs again. "Weird and getting weirder. You're famous. You know."

"I'm not, like, _famous_. My mom's in politics, but people don't stop me in airports for pictures or anything."

"Your mom is the Vice President," he says. "That's a few steps past _in politics_."

"Still. I'm not _actor_ famous."

"Yeah, I know I'm better than you."

"So, seriously, what's it like?"

"Mostly just really surreal. We're still not huge, you know? We're not _Game of Thrones_ , but they're expecting us to get there. So I'm still figuring out how famous I am. A lot more than I ever thought I'd be."

"You're going to be huge."

"I don't know if I want that," he admits. "Not that, uh--obviously getting paid blockbuster money would be awesome. And it would be cool to do that as--not a lot of big Filipino stars. But I'm not sure it's me."

"I get that," she says. She pauses, and then says, "I always figured you'd finish college, eventually."

"Yeah, I did too. I still could, I guess. No one's going to stop me." They lurch ahead in line, and some girls giggle and point at him as they walk by. Clarke looks like it's Christmas and her birthday all at once, and it's the most fun he's ever had, being famous. Just standing next to her. "How's grad school?"

"At this point I'm mostly glad it's over. But assuming it's like after college, I give myself two years before I get tired of working and go back for my PhD."

"I could totally get a PhD," he says. "That sounds awesome."

"Maybe someone will give you an honorary degree. If you play a doctor or something."

"Yeah, I assume Hugh Laurie was on _House_ for so long he can now legally perform surgery."

"And the guy from _The West Wing_ is next in line to take over the country if something happens to the president and my mom."

"Exactly."

They get to the desk and Bellamy hands over his name and ID and pretends to not notice the kid at the desk quietly freaking out. That's the kind of fame he likes; he can make someone's day just by existing in their space. That's pretty cool.

But once they get into the car, it starts feeling a little awkward. He's still happy to see her, can't stop glancing at her, but--it's been so long. He has too much and too little to say to her, all at the same time.

"Have you told anyone you're bringing me yet?" she asks.

"I don't really talk to anyone else," he admits. "Raven posts weird shit on my wall sometimes, but I figured you'd talk to her. The ex-girlfriends club or whatever."

"Yeah, I did. She's bringing her new girlfriend, so it'll be cool to meet her. She thinks Finn is going to faint when he sees me."

"Fingers crossed." He glances at her. "Second thoughts?"

"It's petty, right?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

She turns so she can roll her eyes at him, and he grins. "Bellamy."

"What?"

"It's their _wedding_."

"And they were dicks to invite me and not you. And, honestly, if this is enough to destroy their relationship, they're not going to last anyway. So you're helping, if you think about it. Saving them money on a nasty divorce."

"That's the spirit," she says.

"Seriously, I think it will be mildly uncomfortable at the rehearsal dinner and then they'll stop caring and make a note that they never want to see either of us again. Which will improve our lives."

"Your life. They already never wanted to see me again."

"So you're helping me out. You're being an awesome friend. And everyone else will be happy to see you." He drums his fingers on the steering wheel. "Okay, there we go. That's the real favor. It would be more awkward for Finn if everyone but you was here. Like--you're this really conspicuous absence. So again. We're helping."

"You should do improv. You're great at bullshitting." She leans back in the passenger seat, closing her eyes. "Mostly I feel kind of guilty for being excited."

"Hey, it's a wedding," he says. "Everyone loves a wedding."

*

The wedding is in Finn's hometown, which is also Raven's hometown, so she's crashing with a friend for the weekend, but he and Clarke have barely had time to decide who gets which bed before she's texting.

"She assumes we have a minibar," Clarke says.

"Yeah, but why would we pay for tiny bottles of booze when we could go to a liquor store and get a large one?"

"She says you're not taking advantage of your wealth if you don't drink out of the minibar."

"Uh huh. Tell her I've got fifty bucks to contribute to whatever she wants to buy."

"Again, this is why you're going to lose all your money. Real rich people always say they'll pay you back and never do."

"So, what I'm hearing is you're not rich anymore. I remember you always paid us back for everything. Or just treated us. You getting stingy in your old age?"

"My mom doesn't actually give me an allowance anymore. But it's sort of like--" She huffs out a breath. "I don't have money like I used to. But it's not like my bank account actually reflects how much I have, you know? I budget and I try to save money, but if I run out or I can't make rent, I can just ask my mom. She'd never let me starve or anything."

"So, I shouldn't joke around how rich you are anymore?" he asks. "This is what I'm hearing."

"No, you still can. I just--I'm still working on navigating my privilege. Just like in college."

"You're still doing better than plenty of people I know, if it helps," he says. "Just like in college. And trust me, these days I fucking know from privileged assholes."

She laughs. "Yeah, I bet you do."

"Just because you can't fail doesn't mean you're not making it on your own, Clarke," he offers, and her smile warms him down to his toes.

"Not all of us can be quite as good at taking care of ourselves as you are."

"I'm really glad you didn't have to be."

"That too," she says. "Did I say it's good to see you again yet? It's really good to see you. Not to make your mother's death about me, but it really sucked when you just couldn't come back to school."

He grins. "That was the worst part about it for me too. Good for Octavia, though."

"Yeah." She flops down on her bed, smiling. "This is definitely going to be fun."

" _So_ fun," he agrees, and she laughs.

Raven and her girlfriend, a bartender named Gina, show up ten minutes later with a horrific selection of incredibly cheap booze and gatorade.

"You give me a fifty-dollar budget and I'm going to stretch it as hard as I can."

"You act like this is punishment for us, but do you remember me and Bellamy in college?" Clarke asks, grabbing the vodka and blue gatorade and raising his eyebrows at him. "We will drink literally anything."

"I want another color of gatorade in there. Mix it with yellow for green."

"You guys are disgusting." Raven pulls him into a hug. "Good to see you, movie star."

"Just TV, thanks." He squeezes hard, kisses her hair. He and Raven slept together once, after the whole Finn thing went down, and she's tied for Miller as his second-favorite friend from college. He knows she's off being a fucking tremendous badass at NASA or some shit, and that she is probably the smartest person he knows and will ever know.

This was such a good idea.

"Yeah, my bad," says Raven, slapping him on the back and going to hug Clarke. "Can't believe I fucked that one up. This is Gina. She loves your show."

"Raven loves it too," says Gina. She's slightly pink, and he gives her a hug mostly to make her turn pinker. Always nice to be appreciated by cute girls.

"Awesome, me three," he says. "As a bartender, can you not drink vodka, blue gatorade, and yellow gatorade?"

"I'm also going to put some rum in there," says Clarke.

"As a human being with a gag reflex I can't drink that," says Gina.

"More for us," says Clarke, and when she gives Bellamy his cup, he raises it to hers and they do their first sip in unison.

"Wow," he says, once he stops coughing. "That's got to be your worst yet."

"Yeah, for sure."

He takes another drink. "I think it's gonna get worse the drunker we get."

"That's the plan, yeah."

"Jesus, you two haven't fucking changed a bit," Raven mutters, grinning. "Gina, rum and Coke?"

"We could have put Coke in this?" Clarke asks. "That would have been so much grosser!"

"You're triggering _my_ gag reflex," says Raven. It looks like she can't stop smiling either; it's going to be that kind of weekend.

When it's not awkward as fuck.

"So, you're--not directly involved in all of that stuff, right?" Gina asks him later. She's drunk enough to have relaxed and stopped thinking of Bellamy as an actor and started thinking of him as Raven's kind of awkward friend, which is a much better fit for him, honestly. Not that he's not an actor too, but--he likes being the kind of awkward friend. He's missed it. "The Finn stuff," she clarifies.

"I was around, sorta," he says. "I was hooking up with this girl Roma, she was roommates with Clarke's friend Harper, so we kind of--"

"We'd run into each other at parties and Bellamy and Clarke would fight each other," Raven supplies.

"Not physically," Clarke says. "We just had very different opinions about group activities."

"Yeah, we met at, uh--what was it? Freshman orientation?"

"Yup," says Clarke, popping her p decisively. "We were supposed to be leading a group and we got in a--heated argument."

"Violent shouting match," Raven supplies."

Clarke ignores her. "Which kept going for, like, what, the first semester?"

"About that, yeah."

"And then the Finn thing happened, right?" asks Gina. "I sort of know this story."

"Finn transferred in," says Clarke. "And Raven thought the two of them were dating again."

"Because he fucking told me that's why he was transferring!" Raven says, but she's laughing. "Fuck, it's not even that he was cheating, now. It's that he was so fucking bad at it."

"He really was," says Bellamy. He nudges Clarke's shoulder. "He and Clarke had a _special connection_."

She buries her face against his shoulder. "I hate that I _believed him_. Not once we actually figured everything else out, but--you know, when he wanted to move fast, I thought, yeah, this is college! I really like this guy! Special connection!"

"And then you did the same thing with Lexa, so--" Raven says, and Clarke burrows even closer.

"Shut up!"

"Anyway, yeah," says Bellamy, turning his attention back to Gina. "When the Finn thing happened, he wouldn't leave Clarke alone, and she needed backup. He was way more of a dick than she was, so picking sides wasn't hard."

"And then we just kept on being on the same side," says Clarke.

He has to lean in and press his lips against her hair. At least she doesn't seem to mind. "Yeah. We kept on being on the same side."

*

It's not really a surprise that he wakes up feeling like something died in his mouth; anything that had been in his mouth absolutely would have died there. It's possible that whatever horrific combination of substances Clarke put together actually generated life but then could not sustain it. She's some sort of alcohol wizard. If her powers could be harnessed for good, she would have a bright future working with Raven's bartender girlfriend.

"Rise and shine, I got you an egg sandwich. You still like eggs, right? And bacon? Do you have a strict diet to maintain your abs, or are you naturally ripped?"

"Is being in grad school like being in college? Is that why you're better at this than I am?" He groans into his pillow. "How are you awake and doing shit?"

"Honestly? I'm kind of a nervous wreck."

"Shit," he says, and pushes himself up. Clarke has coffee and a paper bag, and she's wearing sunglasses inside, with the lights off. So it's not like she can still party like they're in college without consequences. "Thanks for the food. You're a nervous wreck?"

"What if they actually say I can't go to the wedding?"

"Then we do something more fun than Finn's wedding for the rest of the weekend," he says, accepting the coffee. She remembered how he takes it, because of course she did. It's not like he doesn't still know her order too. "Which wouldn't be hard. Weddings suck, Finn sucks, Ontari sucks, so--"

She laughs. "We take Raven and Gina and run?"

"Exactly."

"Solid plan,yeah." She smiles into her coffee. "How's your head?"

"Shitty, thanks." 

"Don't Hollywood stars have wild parties?"

"I only ever had wild parties to prove you couldn't outdrink me."

"Which I could."

"Which you could," he grants. "But it sucked for you too."

"Mutually assured destruction. The hallmark of our relationship."

His phone buzzes on the nightstand, and he reaches over to see that Miller has sent him a message: _Dude, you're at Finn's wedding and you didn't even TELL ME??_

He looks up at Clarke with a frown. "Miller is here?"

Her smile is fondly amused. "Why are you asking me about the guest list to a wedding I wasn't even invited to?"

"I figured you kept in better touch with people than I did." 

_I'm an asshole_ , he texts Miller. _Are you already here?_

"Not really," Clarke admits. "Honestly, we kind of fell apart after you left."

It's not quite the last thing he would have expected, but it's close. "Really?"

"Not dramatically or anything. But--" She smiles. "I don't know. I usually organized stuff, and I still did, but you were the one who found all the good events and got us going. We just--saw each other less, senior year."

"Huh." He shakes his head. "I had no idea."

"You never get how important you are," she says, like this is a known and accepted fact. Like this is something she thinks about.

He sets up lunch with Miller mostly so he won't have to meet Clarke's eyes, and between the coffee, the sandwich, and a shower, he feels mostly human by the time they're leaving.

Nathan Miller was his roommate freshman year, and he spent a good two months thinking the guy hated him until Miller burst out that he was gay and really hoped it wasn't going to be weird for him. At which point they became best friends, with the exception for Clarke, who always managed to have her own category in Bellamy's life.

He and Miller keep up as well as he keeps up with anyone, which in this case means that Miller and his boyfriend Monty like to get drunk and film their reactions to his show to put on YouTube, and they are actually semi-famous on the internet for this and their other YouTube endeavors. Bellamy watches all of them and sends Miller texts about how weird his face is at time-stamp 13:12. It remains a pretty solid friendship, and he would have asked about the wedding, but Miller seemed so much less likely to get an invite.

"He probably actually invited Monty," Clarke points out. "He and Monty were roommates too, remember?" She flashes a grin. "Or YouTube is enough to get them covered under the famous-person exception."

"Probably that one." Once the car's started, he asks, "Am I a dick for--"

"Yes," she says, and grins. "Sorry, go on."

"Fuck you. Am I a dick for being annoyed that people like Finn enough to come to his wedding? I just thought you and Raven would need some more backup."

"It's not like we kicked him out of the friend group." She worries her lip. "Maybe we should have. But--he was Raven's oldest friend. She didn't want to give him up, and I didn't want to make her. So no one else was going to get rid of him. It was our call."

She looks unhappy enough he actually reaches over to squeeze her leg, quick and firm. Friendly. Definitely. "I'm not saying you should have told everyone what happened. I know you guys kept it kind of quiet. But he basically had no other redeeming qualities so--"

She actually _cackles_. "I forgot how much you hate Finn. I'm so glad you're here."

"For all your spite needs," he agrees.

Miller and Monty are already waiting for them when they get there, both on their phones at a table on the patio. They look basically the same as he remembers, both in graphic t-shirts and jeans, Miller in a beanie, Monty's glasses sliding off his nose.

It's maybe like what a college reunion would be like, if he'd graduated from college.

There are more hugs all around, and some good-natured ribbing from Miller about how he's slumming it with the little people, which he takes with a grin and a light cuff to Miller's head.

"Actually, we should get a selfie, though," Monty says. "The internet is going to be so jealous we're hanging out with you."

"Haven't you mentioned we went to college together? It's not news."

"Yeah, but I don't think they really believe we were _friends_ ," says Monty. "Get in here, Clarke. Celebrity two-for-one."

Clarke rolls her eyes, ducks in between Bellamy and Monty, which gives Bellamy an excuse to get his arm around her again. He's getting increasingly pathetic, honestly.

"I'm not famous," Clarke says.

"Famous enough."

"If there are any pictures from the airport, the internet is definitely going to think you're my girlfriend," he points out, and when Monty takes the picture, Clarke is elbowing him and grinning.

"So, we couldn't figure it out," Miller says, when they're all sitting. "Which of you guys got invited? Both? Neither?"

"Just me," says Bellamy. "She's my plus-one. I'm pretty sure they just gave me one hoping I'd bring--" He glances at Clarke. "Do you have an actress who's at my level?"

"Tumblr wants you to date that girl who plays Lily's friend Mary."

"Do you know the names of any celebrities except me?"

"Jennifer Lawrence."

He turns his attention back to Monty, who's smiling a little oddly. "They wanted me to bring Katie," he says. "But I figure Clarke's just as good. Better, since they somehow forgot to invite her."

"Somehow," says Miller, dry. He might not know the full story of the Raven/Clarke/Finn ordeal, but he knows Finn kept on flirting with Clarke after he got together with Ontari, even when Clarke was dating Lexa, and that Bellamy would, very, very occasionally, go on rants about what an asshole the guy was to both Clarke and Raven. So he's got enough background, probably. "It's their own fault. They should have seen this one coming."

"Yeah, I sort of figured they wouldn't invite either of you," Monty adds. "But Finn never had much common sense, so he probably didn't remember _if Bellamy then Clarke_."

It's strange, that everyone still takes this as a matter of course, five years later. Like it's been true for that long.

Maybe it has been. It's not like he wouldn't have come, if she'd ever asked him. He always would have.

"So, everyone's all-in on spite," Clarke says. "Cool."

"Why else would we be friends?" Monty asks, and the two of them high five. "Do they know yet?"

"Not until the dinner tonight," says Bellamy. "Their fault for assuming."

"You guys are deranged," says Miller, but he's grinning. "Want to see if Raven wants to play video games?"

"We're here for a wedding. For the weekend," Bellamy adds, when Miller frowns at him. "How many video games did you bring?"

"It's like he doesn't even know us," Monty laments. "I'm calling Jasper too."

It makes Bellamy feel strangely guilty, even if he doesn't have any reason to. They didn't invite Finn because he's busy with wedding stuff, not out of malice. At least, not for everyone. And it's not like they wouldn't be having fun if Finn was around. But Monty's filming for the YouTube channel and everyone is laughing and trash-talking, and he feels simultaneously smug and a little spiteful for thinking that Finn will be totally jealous if he ever sees this.

"You're not posting this yet, right?" Clarke asks, around four.

Monty glances over his shoulder to grin at her. "I doubt Finn and Ontari are really spending the day before their rehearsal dinner monitoring my instagram," he teases. "But don't worry, we're not going to spoil your big reveal."

"What's the point of a surprise if the internet knows first?" Bellamy asks. He nudges Clarke. "Where did we fall on the hot/inappropriate scale?"

Raven shoots him a look. "What the fuck kind of scale are you using, Bellamy?"

"If we're looking hot at the wedding so we upstage the couple or inappropriate at the wedding so they kick us out and we can do something better with our lives," he explains to Raven. "I'm following Clarke's lead."

"Just normal for tonight," Clarke says. "Ease them into it. False sense of security."

"You feel like enough of an asshole already?" he supplies, and she grins.

"Or that, yeah." She stretches. "We should go get ready though. We don't have to look _extra_ good. Just normal good."

"I always look extra good," he says, standing himself.

"That's not how extra works, Bellamy. You're graded against yourself, not other people. Just because you're super-humanly hot doesn't mean you're _extra_ hot."

"Thanks for that bizarre semantics lesson," he says. He could really get used to her casual references to how hot he is. Assuming they're going to keep hanging out long enough that he can get used to it. He's still not sure how to make that happen. "So, regular hot for me is extra hot for normal people. That's what I'm getting."

"Exactly," she says. "We'll see you guys at the rehearsal dinner?"

"Can't wait," says Raven, shooting a smirk at Monty.

He's pretty sure all his friends are laughing at him. That's nice too. Familiar.

For all of Clarke's pedantry about just being regular hot, he has to admit he's not actually sure she's capable of it. Which feels pathetic, but--that's always been one of the weird wonders of Clarke. Even before he liked her, let alone _liked_ her, he couldn't help admiring how good she was at just _existing_. It's one of the parts of wealth he hasn't been able to learn; Clarke always looks perfect in every situation, like she just has an inherent understanding of how she's supposed to be interacting with the world. She'd make a good spy, he thinks. Everywhere she goes, she fits in.

Which maybe isn't hot for everyone, but Bellamy's into competence.

His own outfit is fairly unexciting; the invitation said _comfortable but classy_ , which is a helpful instruction that simultaneously makes him want to punch someone. It's a vibe he associates pretty heavily with Finn, generally.

Standing next to Clarke, examining himself in the mirror, he still feels pretty good. He's got a nice shirt and slacks, a tie in Clarke's bag if it looks like other people are wearing them. Clarke's dressed more casually, but looks more natural, not a hair out of place, her sundress falling in smooth waves.

Mostly, they look nice _together_. And extra hot. It's hard to feel bad about anything else, when has has that going for him.

"Ready?" he asks.

"As I'll ever be."

She slides her hand into his as they're walking to the rehearsal, her fingers slightly clammy. He squeezes once, and she squeezes back.

"If you want to bail, I will."

"No. I want to see them, honestly. Not, like, closure, but--"

"Kind of closure."

"A little bit. I want to feel like I'm--I want to get the spite out of my system."

"There's always going to be spite in your system," he says. "Your body is like seventy percent spite. But I get it, yeah."

"I know." She squeezes his hand again, but doesn't let go. "Show time."

The dinner is in Finn's parents' yard, and they're late enough that plenty of other people are already there. He spots Raven and Miller quickly, chatting with Monroe and some girl he doesn't know. Monty, Jasper, and Harper seem to be playing a game where they're trying to land grapes in each others' mouths with limited success.

The bride- and groom-to-be are talking with Roan, Ontari's brother whom he vaguely remembers from being at grad school at the same time they were and also from being kind of a dick. But an entertaining, harmless dick. The kind he likes to think he is, on his best days.

"We should definitely do it while Roan is there," Clarke says, tugging him. "Roan likes us."

"He does? I didn't know he liked people."

"Okay, we amuse him."

"Yeah, that sounds better." He navigates them through the small crowd, mostly blocking her from Finn and Ontari's line of sight with his own body.

They've gone to all this trouble, so they might as well do it right. It would suck to not nail the landing.

"Bellamy!" says Finn, with more enthusiasm than he has ever had for Bellamy in their entire relationship up to this point. _Combined_. "I'm so glad you could make it, man, I know you must be crazy busy with--Clarke."

"Not usually busy with me, unfortunately," Clarke says, smooth. "We're currently on different sides of the country."

"Unfortunately," Bellamy agrees. He offers the happy couple his best movie-star smile, bright enough no one seems to notice when it doesn't hit his eyes. "It's really good to see you guys. Congratulations. I'm so glad you're still together and doing well."

"Aren't we all," says Roan. Clarke was right; they totally amuse him. "I have to admit, I was also surprised when I heard you were coming."

"I haven't seen everyone in a while," he says. "Seemed like a good opportunity."

"And you, Clarke?"

He wonders if Roan actually knows she wasn't invited or if he's just guessing based on how his sister looks like someone put a frog down her dress. He might feel bad for Ontari, since Finn was the main target, but she always seemed like a genuinely horrible person. He's not sure they deserve each other, whatever that means, but he's at least glad no one else has to marry either of them.

"Same as Bellamy," she says. "Just wanted to see everyone." She has her own bright smile, the same one he's seen at every formal event she's ever been at, the one he thinks she might have learned before she could walk. The politician and the actor: a matched set. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"I didn't think you would come, Clarke," Finn blurts out, which is really the last thing Bellamy would say in this situation. At least in that tone. He sounds so--well, the way he says it, it sounds like the reason he didn't invite Clarke was that he didn't want to deal with her turning down the invitation, which might be true, but doesn't seem like a vibe you want to give off in front of your fiancee.

But it's not like Bellamy has historically agreed with Finn about any of his choices, so why would he start now?

"Well, Bellamy asked," says Clarke, and actually leans into him a little. It's one of their old tricks; Finn is being inappropriate, so she shifts her focus to Bellamy. She did it with other people too, a kind of subtle _Look at all these people I'd rather talk to than you_ , or maybe just a reminder that they were in public and everyone could see his weird flirting, and it's a little sad that this is something that also hasn't changed.

But maybe Finn really is just surprised. Maybe he'll be better when he recovers.

Ontari is glaring daggers, which is also familiar and annoying. Not that she doesn't have a right to be pissed, but she always seems to be pissed at _Clarke_. As far as Bellamy's concerned, if you're angrier with the person your partner is hitting on than your partner for hitting on them, you're doing something wrong.

Which, again. Both Finn and Ontari are people who have basically always done everything wrong in his experience. If it wasn't for the girl on his arm, he'd honestly really be regretting coming here.

But Clarke's head is on his shoulder, her fingers curled around his arm, so he's feeling great about all his life choices.

"My favorite plus-one," he says, and she smiles. "Anyway, yeah. We don't want to monopolize you. Congratulations again, and we're looking forward to the wedding."

"Congrats," Clarke echoes, and Roan follows them when they go.

"That was impressive," he says. "I did miss the two of you. Not that you're difficult to keep up with."

"I think Roan is telling us he also follows all the Bellamy Blake fan tumblrs," he tells Clarke.

"Yeah, what's your favorite, Roan? I like fuckyeahbellamyblake, but that's just me."

Bellamy makes a face. "Is that seriously a thing?"

"It seriously is. I can't believe you're so out-of-touch with your own fanbase."

"From what I've seen of my fanbase, I don't actually want to be in touch with them. Obviously I'm grateful and all, but I think a lot of them have really specific and detailed ideas about my body."

"Are they wrong?"

"No comment," he says. He turns his attention back to Roan, who is still very clearly _amused_. "Seriously, favorite Bellamy Blake fan tumblr?"

"No comment. Although I will say, I'm more of a twitter man."

"Should have known," says Clarke. "No stamina. Is there food somewhere?"

"There is food _everywhere_ ," says Roan. "Good to see both of you. Enjoy making everyone's lives awkward."

"We're obvious," Clarke observes, once he's gone, but she sounds pleased. Delighted even.

"You didn't think this was gonna be a subtle thing, did you?"

"Not really."

"Feeling okay?"

"Surprisingly great. Actually less spiteful."

"Yeah? Maybe you gave it all to me."

"Like you didn't have plenty of your own to start with." She lets go of him to start assembling food, but once she finishes the first plate, she passes it back to him without comment, so it's hard to be too upset.

They're still in this together.

*

The party goes late and is, honestly, not even that awkward by the end. Finn and Ontari are doing the rounds, and when they get to Finn's college friends, it's really pretty normal. There's more awkwardness from being apart for a while, but Bellamy had that with some of the others too, with Harper and Monroe, whom he didn't really talk to as much at school, and with fucking Murphy, who's, well, fucking Murphy. And when Finn and Ontari are with other people, it's a nice excuse to just hang out with some friends he hadn't seen in a while. Some of Finn and Ontari's family recognize him, but they're cool about it, just a quick, "Love the show, love your work," kind of thing.

It's not like he never has fun in Hollywood, but he doesn't have this kind of fun. The kind where he can relax, not wonder if someone is sizing him up, deciding if he's for real, if he wants something from them, if they want something from him. He has friends in Hollywood, but--he's not actually _good _at friends. He stumbled into his college relationships, and they worked, like he stumbled into acting and it worked. But he hasn't stumbled into anyone he really feels like he can be himself around in LA. Not like this.__

__Clarke falls asleep in the car, and he finds himself glancing over at her so much more than he wants to. She's most of the reason he feels so relaxed, and he knows it. It would be stupid to pretend he didn't. If Clarke wasn't here, he would have been feeling awkward. He wouldn't have known how to start hanging out with everyone else without her by his side, no matter how much he likes them._ _

__He can't just let her drop out of his life again. He can't._ _

__She wakes up when the car stops, and to his surprise she settles in with her laptop in the hotel room instead of going to bed right away._ _

__"Those Bellamy Blake fansites aren't going to check themselves," she says, and he snorts._ _

__"Yeah, maybe Monty put the picture up. You mind if I shower?"_ _

__"Go ahead."_ _

__He might purposefully come out of the bathroom in just a towel to grab his clothes, because he knows he's an attractive guy, okay? He looks very nice without a shirt. Clarke knows that, but she doesn't _know_ that. And she really should._ _

__She gives an appreciative whistle at the sight of him, which is appreciated. "Wow."_ _

__"Yeah?"_ _

__"So dreamy. Get dressed, I have something to show you."_ _

__He tugs on his pajama pants under the towel but doesn't bother with a shirt, just flops down next to her. "Is it the fuckyeahbellamyblake tumblr?"_ _

__"Better."_ _

__It is tumblr, but it seems to be some kind of messaging system. The one she's pointing at is from Anonymous and just says, _omg kara do you follow m &m media??? they posted pix of them w bellamy and the vp's daughter??? apparently they're engaged??? im so heartbroken rn plz help__ _

__He opens and closes his mouth a few times and then says, "Exactly how much do you post about me on the internet? Like, why are you where distraught pre-teens go to cry about my relationship status?"_ _

__"It started out just--it was cool, you know? There were all these gifsets of _you_ on my dashboard. And, okay, sometimes reading the tags gets weird, like. Obviously I relate to the desire to climb you like a tree but a lot of these people don't understand how short you actually are."_ _

__He snorts. "Thanks."_ _

__"But since I was reblogging the stuff, people started sending me fanart requests, and--yeah. I sort of accidentally became really well known in the _Order_ fandom."_ _

__"And Kara?"_ _

__"Clarke, Clark Kent, Superman, Supergirl, Kara Danvers, Kara," she says, counting steps on her fingers. "Secret identity."_ _

__"So no one knows who you really are."_ _

__"Nope."_ _

__"So now you have anonymous people coming to you asking if I'm engaged because you're an authority."_ _

__"Hey, if you were engaged to the vice president's daughter, I'd definitely know."_ _

__He has to laugh. "You're right. You are the foremost authority on the vice president's daughter on tumblr. And honestly probably on Bellamy Blake. Unless Octavia has one and I don't know about it."_ _

__"How's she doing, anyway? She's in college, right?"_ _

__"Summer vacation now, but yeah. She's good. Blake's a really common last name, so it's not like anyone has to know she's my sister if she doesn't want them to. And she's pretty sure some of her friends know but haven't told her and they're trying to use her to get close to me, which she thinks is funny."_ _

__"This is why I don't mention I know you on the internet, yeah. I do feel a little bad when--"_ _

__"When people ask if we're engaged?" he teases. He nudges her shoulder. "What are you going to say?"_ _

__"Easy." She pulls up the reply box. " _Don't panic, anon--M &M have said they went to college with him like ten billion times. Quick google search says VP's daughter did too. So they're probably at a reunion or something. And let's be real, if you were posing for a picture with him, you'd want to be as close as possible too._" She grins. "See? I'm an old pro."_ _

__"I had no idea." He shifts a little closer. "So, do I get to see all these fanblogs you follow?"_ _

__"Let's check out what they're saying about us, yeah." She grins at him. "Honestly, this is only the second time I've made waves on tumblr as myself. It's exciting."_ _

__"Second?"_ _

__"I got some attention when I came out as bi."_ _

__Her dashboard loads and she scrolls quickly, pausing for frankly fairly disconcerting image-sets of him and his coworkers. It's all stuff from the show or promo shots, nothing weird, it's just--he knew the show was popular. He knew people were fans in this way too, caring enough about the show to draw it, write about it, rant about it, come to conventions and pay for his autograph, but it was abstract. And it's weird that Clarke does it, that Clarke is involved in it, even though he remembers her sitting with her head in his lap in college sometimes, drawing fanart while he did his homework. Because Clarke likes _his show_ this much._ _

__"Here we go," she says, and he tugs his attention back to the screen, where there's the picture of them with Miller and Monty, grinning at a cafe, looking like four normal college friends who are back together for the weekend. The caption at the bottom, which he assumes came from their instagram, is just, _Catching up!_ He figures that's part of why people are speculating on what Clarke is doing there; it's much clearer why they'd want a picture with him than with her._ _

__It's not like they _couldn't_ have said _Catching up with old friends!_ but they probably _wanted_ people to wonder what Clarke was doing there. They're assholes like that._ _

__"Are you going to reblog it?" he asks. "That's the word, right? Reblog?"_ _

__She snorts. "Look at you, learning the lingo. Yeah, that's the right word. And I don't know. I honestly try to avoid candid shots of you? It feels--important, I guess. Plausible deniability or something. I can reblog stuff about James Potter and it's not like I know _him_."_ _

__He nudges her shoulder. "Hey, I was curious, not judging."_ _

__"You're always judging," she says, smiling. "Oh, hey, here's the airport."_ _

__"Nice pictures," he says, surprised. They're holding onto each other so tight, pressed so close. It's weird and a little uncomfortable, knowing someone saw and took a picture and then posted them online, but he's kind of glad there's a record of what the two of them looked like._ _

__"I'm gonna message them and ask them to not reblog those," Clarke is saying, with a frown._ _

__"Hm?" he asks._ _

__"I know the maintainers of this blog, I'm going to say they might want to consider deleting those," she says. "The airport ones. Monty and Miller's instagram, you knew the picture was being taken, these you didn't. They're pretty new, they probably just saw it and didn't think of it, but it's sketchy."_ _

__"Do you protect my virtue on tumblr too?"_ _

__"I've got your back," she says, and tries to make it sound casual, but--she does._ _

__"I missed you," he says, and she smiles._ _

__"Yeah. I missed you too."_ _

__*_ _

__By the time they're going to the wedding the next day, Clarke's convinced three blogs that posting candid, non-consensual pictures of Bellamy is morally weird, and then teased him for asking her to send him one of them._ _

__"It's like you don't even care how much I'm working for you."_ _

__"I care and appreciate it," he says. "But it's a cute picture."_ _

__"We can just get more pictures of us at the wedding."_ _

__"That doesn't make this one any less cute."_ _

__"No, it doesn't," she grants, and pats his leg. "Go get ready. As my trophy date, I want you to look awesome."_ _

__"How am I your trophy date? I'm the one who actually got invited. You're my trophy date."_ _

__"Politician," she says. "Actor. The actor is always the trophy."_ _

__"You're not a politician," he points out._ _

__"Okay, that just makes me even less of the trophy date. Museum curator and actor."_ _

__"You're my arm candy," he says. "I'm the actor, and no one cares who you are so long as you're beautiful. That's how it works. Trophy date."_ _

__To his surprise, her cheeks actually redden. He guesses she hasn't been really telling her she's gorgeous as much as she's been telling him. He should work on that._ _

__"Okay, well--either way, you want to look good. For both our reputations."_ _

__"So you don't want me to wear my dress robes?"_ _

__She laughs. "You really brought them?"_ _

__"Nothing but the best for you."_ _

__"Obviously not. What else do you have?"_ _

__"Tux."_ _

__"Go with the tux, yeah. Sounds hot."_ _

__"What are you wearing?"_ _

__Her smile is wicked. "Something pretty."_ _

__He gets changed quickly, able to take care of everything himself except for the bow tie, which he leaves for Clarke. She could tie any tie in the world in college; he assumes she still can._ _

__He's on his phone when she breezes out in a blue dress that is, honestly, the hottest thing he's ever seen. It is, like everything Clarke ever wears, tasteful and appropriate, floor-length with a slit up to her knees on each side, and an amount of cleavage that is both normal and stunning. She's going to outside the bride without even trying._ _

__Not that he's biased or anything._ _

__"Holy fuck," he says, and she laughs, ducks her head._ _

__"I clean up okay, right?"_ _

__"You look amazing, yeah." He stands and wets his lips. "Can you help with my tie?"_ _

__"I can't believe you haven't gotten better at this."_ _

__"I can't believe you ever got good at it. I have someone I can pay to tie things for me now?"_ _

__Her hands are sure and quick as she works, and he gets a nice view of her hair, which is also complicated and perfect. She's amazing._ _

__"What's the going rate?" she asks. "I've just been doing it for free like a chump."_ _

__"I'll subtract it from the hotel fee," he says._ _

__She pats his chest, and he's very close to just leaning in and kissing her before she steps away._ _

__"You look pretty holy fuck too, by the way," she tells him. " _Such_ a trophy date."_ _

__"Doing my best, anyway. Are we bringing a flask or do we not want the temptation?"_ _

__She laughs and slides her arm through his. "Honestly? I'm looking forward to it. The ceremony will be boring, but after Finn and Ontari will be married and I assume happy, and the rest of our friends will be drunk and definitely happy. Receptions are fun." She grins. "Plus, I never get to do fancy dresses."_ _

__"Which is a shame. You should come on the red carpet with me sometime," he adds, without thinking. "I have to go to all sorts of shitty events with fancy clothes. If this is your thing, I can make that happen."_ _

__It feels like a lot, once he's said it, but it's not like it's not true. Basically all parts of his life sound like they'd be better, if Clarke was involved. And--he can see her fitting, that's the strangest part. She's not a Hollywood insider or anything, but she's used to being on camera, used to interacting in the ways he's still learning._ _

__She just squeezes his arm. "Sounds fun. I've never been on a red carpet."_ _

__Obviously she has to let go of him so they can drive over, but she takes it back as soon as they're out of the car, and even though they have told exactly zero people she's here as his _date_ , it still feels like she is. Like she wants to be._ _

__It's not like it's inconceivable or anything. They're friends, and she likes him. Octavia did think he could get laid this weekend._ _

__He mostly just wants to get laid a lot more than just this weekend._ _

__"Anything you need me to do as a trophy date?" he asks, low, as they're walking in._ _

__"You admit you're the trophy date?"_ _

__"I admit I'm here for you."_ _

__She smiles. "That's even better. Trophy dates don't care about you at all as a person."_ _

__"How many trophy dates have you had?"_ _

__"If I tell you which ones are trophies, it ruins the surprise." She squeezes his arm again. "Honestly, I'm not worried. Just don't leave me alone; I don't want either of them to try to actually talk to me about anything."_ _

__"Same, honestly," he admits, and she laughs._ _

__They sit with Raven and Gina, and it's honestly--well, it's a wedding. There are readings he doesn't care about, vows that probably wouldn't make him tearful even if he cared about the bride and groom, and then kissing and photo ops. It's all perfectly nice, but nothing special. But he congratulates them and hugs them both at the reception, and so does Clarke, and they look happy. Which is a marked improvement over regret and/or Finn trying to convince Clarke to run away with him. It goes about as well as it could have._ _

__Roan does take him aside at the start of the reception, but Clarke is with Raven, Monty, and Miller, so it seems like she's got to be safe from the bride and groom. Especially when they're so busy._ _

__"What's up?"_ _

__"I don't have a _list_ of young ladies and gentlemen who are hoping to dance with you today, but I've had several requests. Starting with the flower girl."_ _

__He gives Roan an unimpressed look. "Your family lets the flower girl watch HBO? We're violent and edgy."_ _

__"She's ten," Roan says. "It's not as if there's nudity. Although I think Finn's cousin is very disappointed about that."_ _

__"Which one is that?"_ _

__"The strapping young man who's been glaring at Clarke all afternoon," Roan says, with a discreet nod of his head._ _

__"At least he looks like he's gone through puberty." He glances at Roan. "So, you want me to dance with all your relatives? Is there something in this for me?"_ _

__"The satisfaction of making your fans happy. And Clarke seems like the type of woman who finds being good with children endearing. Which I'm sure you are."_ _

__He is good with kids. "If any of them grope me, I'm blaming you."_ _

__"As is your right. I appreciate your sacrifices in the name of making my small relatives and in-laws happy. Also some of the older ones. Anyone who thinks they can get away with squeezing your ass and blame it on youth or senility."_ _

__"Thanks for the head's up."_ _

__"You're making dreams come true."_ _

__He explains to Clarke and the rest of their friends, who all seem to think it's hilarious, and as soon as the traditional dances are done, he's swept up in a seemingly endless procession of friends, relatives, and well-wishers._ _

__Honestly, he should have brought the dress robes. They would have been a hit._ _

__The only downside is that every time he's dancing with one of Finn's relatives, he isn't dancing with Clarke. He sees her in passing sometimes, dancing with Monty, then Raven, then Gina, and they smile at each other, but--he really does want to get at least one dance in with her._ _

__It's not until the night is winding down that she slides in. It's after his second dance with Finn's cousin, who says he is _very_ eighteen, which is not really better than regular eighteen, as far as he's concerned. Bellamy told him they could talk when he was very twenty-five, which seemed pretty safe, as numbers went. And by then, ideally he won't even be able to find Bellamy if he wants to._ _

__Clarke takes her place in his arms with smooth grace, and he's so surprised he almost fails to catch her properly. But she winds her arms around his neck and his fingers find her hips and it's not like he wasn't having fun before, but this was what he'd been waiting for._ _

__"I traded Roan to Finn's grandmother for you," she tells him._ _

__"I didn't know this was a barter-based economy." He pauses. "She took Roan instead of me?"_ _

__"She thinks we're cute, which helps. She said old folks shouldn't have all the fun. And Roan was surprisingly obliging."_ _

__"He was probably excited to be considered my equal," he says, and she laughs. The song is slow and pretty, and he's probably done for the night. He got one round in with everyone, he's pretty sure, and now that Clarke's here, he's not going to be able to let her go. "He thought dancing with cute kids would be something you were into."_ _

__"Kind of, but it was also weird. One of them was like five. She doesn't actually watch your show, does she?"_ _

__"No, she just thought I was handsome. According to her sister."_ _

__"You are handsome," says Clarke, and leans her head against his chest. "What are we doing, Bellamy?"_ _

__She sounds sad, so he pulls her closer. "I don't know. I bet there are museums in LA. Creepy wax museums. All sorts of things that need to be curated. And I'm off until July, so--"_ _

__She laughs, watery and as surprised as ever. "So you don't just want to take me home tonight."_ _

__"Not just that," he says. "And we're staying in the same hotel room, so--"_ _

__"You know what I meant."_ _

__"I know what you meant." He rubs his thumb against her back. "I really want a lot more than that."_ _

__"Okay," she says. Her lips press against his collarbone, barely palpable through his clothes. "Me too."_ _

__Even when the songs speed up, he doesn't really move away from her, doesn't let anyone else claim him. If any of Finn and Ontari's wedding guests care about his or Clarke's relationship status, they definitely think they're together._ _

__Which he really wants them to be, so maybe it's not an issue. At some point in the future, he would love for _Bellamy Blake is dating Vice President Griffin's daughter_ to be common knowledge for anyone who wanted to know._ _

__She starts sagging against him after another half an hour, and he rests his head on her hair. "You want to take off?"_ _

__"Yeah. This was stressful, honestly."_ _

__"Really? I thought it went well."_ _

__Her lips press against his shirt again. "Yeah, not that part. I wanted to make sure I talked to you."_ _

__"Oh." He can't help a smile. "You were nervous about that?"_ _

__"You're kind of a movie star."_ _

__"TV star," he corrects. "And--you're Clarke."_ _

__"I'm the vice president's daughter," she says, but she's ducking her head, looks pleased._ _

__"Yeah," he says. "But who the fuck cares about that? You're _Clarke_."_ _

__Her smile is still the best thing he's ever seen. "And you're Bellamy. Let's go back to the hotel."_ _

__*_ _

__The last time he and Clarke passed out together, it was spring break of their sophomore year, and she'd talked him into letting her pay for him to join the rest of them on an actual spring break trip. They'd had a fairly epic argument about it, which Clarke had finally won by yelling, "Because you're my friend and I want you to come, you dick!" Which shouldn't have been a surprise, at that point, since they'd been ostensibly friends for almost a year at that point, but he'd still never quite put two and two together and realized she enjoyed his company. Not enough to spend money on it._ _

__"You don't have to come," she went on, looking embarrassed at her outburst. "I get that it's weird. But--my mom's paying for basically everything already, so if I throw in plane fare for you, she's not going to notice. We're helping out Jasper and Monroe too. It's not just you."_ _

__He'd told her had to think about it, which mostly involved a lot of examining how he kind of had a thing for her and had been ignoring it and hoping it would go away, and once he finished with that, he admitted to himself that he wanted to go and her mother would never notice the money. Which was a thought so staggering he could barely comprehend it, and only got more staggering once they were on the trip and he saw how much it cost._ _

__"It's fucked up, how rich you are," he told her, the first night. Almost everyone else was asleep already, and they were leaning together on the couch, passing a bottle of tequila between them._ _

__"Yeah, it is," she said. "Thanks for coming."_ _

__"Thanks for inviting me."_ _

__She fell asleep not long after, and it felt monumental, but right after that, she met Lexa, and they started dating, and by the time that went wrong, he didn't know what to say to her._ _

__He thinks he would have figured it out, if his mother hadn't died. And they got here anyway, didn't they? He didn't lose her._ _

__It's natural in a way he didn't expect when they get back to the hotel, Clarke saying, "Give me a sec to get out of this dress, okay? It's a pain," and wandering into the bathroom without further discussion. There's an abstract part of his brain that thinks he should be nervous, but he just strips out of his own clothes and switches to pajamas, and when Clarke comes back out in her tanktop and shorts, she smiles, steps into his arms, and then they're kissing, and it's so fucking _easy_._ _

__It's been a long time coming._ _

__"It really sucks, having a crush on a celebrity you actually _know_ ," she says, smiling against his mouth. "I'd see people online saying how you probably give great hugs, or how you're probably a dick in real life and I just--"_ _

__He grins. "I am a dick in real life. You just like me because I'm a celebrity."_ _

__"That's exactly it," she says, and bites his bottom lip for good measure. "Like I didn't want to climb you like a tree in college."_ _

__"I thought I was too short." He tugs her tank top off, but she's pulling him back to his bed before he can get too distracted by all the new skin he's seeing._ _

__"I was never very good at climbing trees. I needed a small one anyway. Christmas tree. Shrub." She grins. "That's going to be my tag for you from now on. Climb him like a shrub."_ _

__"Glad our dating isn't going to get in the way of your internet fame," he teases, letting his mouth trail down her neck. She sounds breathless and happy, and it's a heady feeling, knowing it's because of him. "Don't start posting really accurate nude sketches of me, okay?"_ _

__"No, those are just for me." She pulls him back up to her mouth, desperate, and he loses all desire to try to maintain the conversation. Since his mouth is occupied, his hands find her breasts, and the soft noises she makes as he explores are his new favorite thing._ _

__"Fuck, we should have done this sooner," he murmurs._ _

__"Better late than never," Clarke says, pragmatic, and when her hips move, seeking friction, he gets his leg between hers so she can rub against him._ _

__"I meant I would have skipped the reception," he says. "Hell, I would have skipped the whole wedding."_ _

__"Romantic. Who wouldn't want to skip a wedding for someone they didn't even like to get laid? You're not special here, Bellamy."_ _

__"Uh huh." He pushes his leg between hers more firmly. "What are you into?"_ _

__"Orgasms. Did you bring condoms?"_ _

__"Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to have sex with you? Of course I brought condoms."_ _

__She pulls back so she can look at him. "How long?"_ _

__"Basically since I met you."_ _

__"You hated me when you met me."_ _

__"And no one has ever wanted to fuck someone they hated." He can't look at her, so he kisses her again. "Sorry you were hot."_ _

__"I can probably forgive you. Assuming you get the condoms."_ _

__"Seems fair."_ _

__It's not like he thought it would be, because sex never is. He gets her ready with his fingers and nearly comes just from how wet she is, how eager, all the sounds he's making, and once he slides in, it still takes them a minute to find their rhythm. It's been a while for him, and it feels like a lot of pressure, but then Clarke laughs and kisses him and suddenly it's not._ _

__Suddenly it's just the two of them, together, and once he remembers that, it's easy again, warm and familiar until it's hot and frantic, and when Clarke collapses onto his chest, it's exactly what he wanted._ _

__He strokes his hand up her back. "I want to be a cool small tree. Like one of those ornamental maples."_ _

__She yawns. "Nope. Crabapple tree. I decided."_ _

__He tugs her closer and gets the covers over them. "As long as I'm not a shrub."_ _

__*_ _

__In the morning, they fool around until breakfast, and it is apparently obvious from space that they hooked up, at least to their friends, because Raven greets them with, "Thank goodness. If you didn't hit that, we might have had to."_ _

__"I don't actually know which one of us you're talking to," Clarke says, sliding into the seat and taking his hand once they're settled. He wasn't really expecting it, given anyone might recognize either of them, but he also can't say he minds. He's still really great with literally everyone in the world knowing he gets Clarke._ _

__"Either way," Raven says, with a shrug. "Coin flip."_ _

__"Probably Bellamy," Gina corrects. "Sorry, but--James Potter."_ _

__"Yeah, but I haven't slept with Clarke yet," Raven points out. "I already fucked Bellamy, so--"_ _

__"If this is you guys angling for a foursome, wait until the next large gathering," Clarke says. "I just got him, I'm keeping him to myself for a while."_ _

__"Yeah?" asks Monty. "Because our instagram followers are really invested if you guys are dating."_ _

__"Your instagram followers are saying we're engaged."_ _

__"We did say we were at a wedding this weekend," Monty muses. "Maybe they thought it was yours."_ _

__"That would actually explain some weird tumblr messages I got," says Clarke._ _

__"I feel very sad for just having a facebook account right now," Gina says. "I hadn't heard any of the celebrity gossip. I didn't even know instagram cared if you guys were married."_ _

__"Instagram really likes Bellamy."_ _

__"I'm not going to come to these things anymore," he says, slumping into Clarke with a groan. "It's too weird. I'm just going to hang out with Hollywood people, because they get what it's like. I'm above you now."_ _

__"Hey, Monty and Miller are definitely famous on the internet," she says, petting his head. "So they get it."_ _

__"And you're still, you know, Clarke Griffin," says Miller. "If I google you, I can find people asking for nudes."_ _

__Clarke smiles. "That is the true measure of fame, you're right."_ _

__"Plus, she's a fan artist," Bellamy points out. "So she's like Bruce Wayne. Famous on her own, plus as her alter-ego."_ _

__"So it's just us," Gina tells Raven, shaking her head. "Everyone else is a celebrity. We're the only ones Bellamy can't relate to."_ _

__"I might not have thought this through," he admits._ _

__"You invited your college crush to a wedding that she was purposefully excluded from to just to fuck with the bride and groom," Miller says. "Don't try and tell me you thought any of this through."_ _

__"He went to the wedding, charmed the entire wedding party, and got the girl," Clarke says. "I don't know, seems like a pretty good outcome to me. It's almost like he planned it."_ _

__"Are you in LA, Clarke?" Gina asks, all politeness, and Clarke's fingers tense in Bellamy's, some reflexive pain that turns into affection._ _

__"Not yet," she says. "But I hear there are a lot of museums there. I think I can probably find something worth moving for."_ _

__Bellamy squeezes back. "Yeah. I'm thinking."_ _

__*_ _

__**Anonymous** asked: _ Okay, but Bellamy is FOR REAL dating Vice President Griffin's daughter. Like, 100%. She was at a con this weekend with him!! What the fuck???_

 

 **supreme-girl-wonder** answered: Yeah, I heard he was telling some fans about her, it sounded really cute to me. College friends, reconnected at a wedding, and now she works at the Getty or something. By all accounts, he sounds really happy, so I don't really see a problem? I know it always kind of sucks when a celebrity you love gets a significant other, but I just remind myself it's not like I had a chance with him anyway. 

So, yeah, personally, I hope those crazy kids make it.

 **Tagged** : #don't worry #I still want to climb him like a shrub #or ornamental maple #or crabapple tree #but I can accept that his girlfriend is the only one who has that privilege #good for her tbh #climb him for all of us clarke griffin

**Author's Note:**

> Clarke POV (ish) [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9507350/chapters/23010759)!


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